Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Merry Christmas


Austin's presents were delivered yesterday.  The presents for the family shipped yesterday.  So now all I have to worry about is wrapping everything and Christmas dinner.  I have NEVER made anything special for Christmas but Benny said he wants something different this year.  I've decided on the meat but not the sides.  Have you ever eaten or made rouladen?  I'm afraid that the pickle is going to ruin the meal for me since I don't like them.  Now to determine what sides we'll have...


I'm still working on writing out my 2016 goals and remain stuck on the reflection portion.  I've made some progress since last week but not where it should be with the template I'm using.  So far I have two accomplishments, one failure, and four goals.  This brain fart is really annoying me.


THURSDAY I did P90X3 Pilates X.  This workout didn't affect my legs as much as other Pilates have done but I sure felt it in my core for the rest of the day.

FRIDAY I did Agility X.

The Post Office closest to the house was out of international forever stamps so I had to go out Saturday afternoon to another branch.  They had plenty at the second location.  The first part of my winnings from the Holiday Sweat Challenge arrived too.

SUNDAY I did Yoga X and got myself geared up for phase 2 of P90X3.

MONDAY I did Triometrics without any plyo.  Not sure if that really counts but I'm not willing to risk my ankles for any workout.

TUESDAY I was The Warrior.

Today I did more Yoga X.


What's something I do to keep myself feeling energized when life gets busy?  I guess I'm "lucky" in that my life isn't busy so I don't need to stay energized.  Tied right into that is Monday's prompt - I have no demand to keep my energy high all day.

TUESDAY is all about your workout gear.  I don't have anything snazzy or funky but here are two of my favorites:


WEDNESDAY is all about vacations.  Our last one was in 2011...the last time I was on a beach.  I sooo want to go back!



THURSDAY is keeping charged on the go.  My car charger is messed up and only works at certain angles.  So I need a new one.

How are you celebrating Christmas?



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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Twas the Week Before Christmas


It's just over a week before Christmas and I haven't even started shopping or sending out Christmas cards.  It's been one of those years that I can't seem to get anything done.  No clue what to get people.  Things happening beyond my control making the future unknown.

I'm working on my goals for 2016.  It's a struggle for me as I don't feel I accomplished much this year.  Does anyone else feel that way?  Perhaps I'm just overthinking again.  What stands out as something I've done in 2015?


THURSDAY my sinus headache was too much for me to bounce around with P90X3 The Warrior so it became another rest day for me.  Austin texted me asking for permission to go see a movie with his girlfriend.

FRIDAY I did Isometrix.  I got a call from Austin's school late morning.  Apparently one of his friends brought alcohol to school disguised in a fruit juice bottle and a few of them took a sip.  One of the others told so they all had a Breathalyzer test and something else (I forget what it was).  The kid that brought the alcohol was suspended while those that drank were sent home for safety.  I picked up Austin and dropped him off at his dad's.  The girlfriend was one of those that also drank so the date got cancelled.

SATURDAY I did Agility X.

MONDAY I did Dynamix.  I was finally able to do the side plank on my left side with my feet stacked instead of my right knee bent!  I was super wobbly and couldn't hold it on my right side.

I went to see the nurse practitioner about this weird bump on my left shoulder that I forgot to ask the doctor about last week.  She said that it was a sebaceous cyst and to just keep an eye on it; if it gets bigger, hurts, reddens, etc. I'm to contact them again.  I tried to take a picture but couldn't get a shot where you can clearly see the bump.

TUESDAY I did Isometrix again.

Today I did Accelerator.  My phone was evil and ate the pictures so I couldn't share my workout on Instagram.


On MONDAY what colors of the rainbow did you eat?  I ate green lettuce with my lunch, green peppers and red tomatoes with my dinner, and red apples for dessert.

TUESDAY I don't really get into the holiday movies so I don't have them to workout to.

On WEDNESDAY push yourself to a new limit.  Not feeling it today.

THURSDAY show your favorite way to sweat over the holidays.  I don't have a favorite since I'm doing a different program each year.  The first year was Tai Cheng, last year was Body Beast, and this year it's P90X3.

FRIDAY I don't have any tricks for an energy boost midday. I need one though.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Weigh in Wednesday


THURSDAY I got warm doing P90X3 The Warrior.

FRIDAY I stretched doing Isometrix.

SATURDAY I did Agility X.

MONDAY I stretched some more with X3 Yoga after waking up with a sinus headache.

In the afternoon I visited the ENT about my nose.  I was in the room probably 45 minutes before a doctor came in (an intern I think).  He did the exam and sprayed some stuff up my nose, not before telling me it'd taste gross and numb things.  Man, was it gross!  It opened up my nose a bit and only numbed my nasal passages a tad but it sure numbed my throat and front teeth better than the dentist!  I asked for some water and did pretty good taking little sips but once I did take too big of one and almost choked in front of the actual doctor.  They said the stuff would start to wear off in about 30 minutes.

After I got home it did wear off completely.  However, it appears that I got a cold from it or the office.  I was so sleepy I dozed on the couch the rest of the evening (when I wasn't cooking or eating dinner).  My nose kept dripping like an annoying faucet and my throat was sore.

TUESDAY I woke up with the cold continuing, adding the dull muscle aches after doing Accelerator slowly.  I sent the office a message asking what the stuff was and also letting them know I couldn't fill the prescription they gave me for Flonase (assuming it's because it's OTC now).

The nurse's response:
The numbing spray consists of phenylephrine and tetracaine. Phenylephrine is the active ingredient in Sudafed. It works to constrict or narrow blood vessels, which decreases bleeding and the inflammatory response which produces excess drainage. The inflammatory response and/or bleeding can be triggered by Dr. Ting removing any crusting or scabbing in your nose during debridements. Tetracaine is a topical numbing agent. Since the spray only lasts 60 - 90 minutes, it is normal for the response to last another day or so. You can use Afrin nose spray (available over the counter) two times daily for 3 days if you are continuing to have symptoms (drippy nose & sore throat). I would begin to use the Flonase as well. Sometimes the Flonase can take up to a week to take full effect.

Flonase is available over the counter. We submit the prescription in an attempt to run the medication through insurance, but some insurance companies do not cover medications that are available over the counter.
WEDNESDAY I did CVX with a headache.  This afternoon I go to my regular doctor for my annual physical.  I'm going to have him order the scans so we can see how the stones are doing.  Also, the ENT wanted one for my nose and sinuses so might as well get them done before the end of the year!



MONDAY share your family's favorite holiday recipe.  We don't have any special holiday recipes.

TUESDAY swap out a snack or dessert for fruit.  I often have an apple (or two) with peanut butter as my dessert.  But I'm out of apples...and peanut butter.  All I have is canned pineapple.

WEDNESDAY post a selfie of your workout. 


THURSDAY share your family-sized activity.  We don't have any of these either...

FRIDAY show how do you play on your forearms. 
 

Don't forget to enter the MealEnders Giveaway (ends Friday)!

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Wednesday, December 2, 2015

MealEnders Review & Giveaway


Almost as soon as I was accepted as a Sweat Pink Ambassador I signed up and was accepted into my first campaign!  I received one of each flavor of MealEnders for free in exchange for my honest review.

About MealEnders:
MealEnders Signaling Lozenges are a first-of-its-kind weight management tool designed to curb overeating and teach portion control using a combination of behavioral psychology and sensory science. Free of stimulants or other harmful “diet” ingredients, MealEnders catalyze behavioral change by retraining the mind to stop eating with the eyes.

MealEnders consist of two components: a sweet, outer reward layer and a cooling/tingling inner core. The outer layer provides a measured dose of “dessert” associated with the end of a meal, while the inner core engages the trigeminal nerve (the nerve that senses “taste”) with long-lasting cooling/tingling sensations that cleanse the palate.

Sucking on a lozenge when you know you’ve consumed enough — but can’t stop — keeps your mouth and mind occupied during the 20-minute Overeating Zone, giving your body’s natural satiety process time to catch up. MealEnders are an easy, safe and sustainable way to curb your appetite. Each Signaling Lozenge contains only 2 grams of sugar and 15 calories…and they taste great!

My favorite flavor
I was so excited that I tried the Chocolate Mint flavor the first night.  Once the chocolate was sucked away it was like BOOM MINT!  I'd used it as dessert that night so I couldn't tell if I was still hungry afterwards.


I brought the Citrus flavor with me to work the next day.  The key lime pie flavoring was good but I couldn't identify the citrus flavor once that was gone.  I don't know why but that bothered me.  I shared some with my coworkers.  The lady in the office next to me tried it first (which was surprising because she's not really into stuff like this).  Both of us identified that the MealEnders kind of numbed our tongues where it sat in our mouths which we assumed was part of the signaling process.

My least favorite flavor
Don't shoot me - I do NOT like anything coffee or mocha flavored.  I try and try different things but just don't like the taste.  The Mocha flavor was also brought to work to share with my coworkers.  I truly suffered through this one after the chocolate was gone.  I kept chugging my water throughout and afterwards but the taste would not go away.  I had to eat something else once it was gone to return my mouth to normal.  Now my coffee drinking coworkers loved this flavor so I gave one the rest of the bag.


I was sort of disappointed with the taste of the Cinnamon flavor as I had expected it to be more like the cinnamon candies.  The flavor was very mild.

Overall I couldn't tell if the MealEnders actually helped me to stop eating.  They were more of a filler, like when you've finished eating but are still just a little hungry and don't want to have another serving of dinner.  This is how I plan to finish out the rest of the 3 flavors I kept.

Here's your opportunity to win a bag of each flavor to try as I did!  If you don't want to wait you can purchase your MealEnders with a 20% discount using the FitHolidays20 code at checkout.




After getting the bird in the oven I did P90X3 The Warrior.

I ate a white Thanksgiving dinner with a little pop of color.
Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, and Cauliflower & Peppers
FRIDAY I did Isometrix.

SATURDAY I did Agility X.

MONDAY I stretched with Dynamix.

TUESDAY I did Accelerator.


Because of our current bills (including my surgery back in September) I don't have the budget to be able to pay for the Group Exercise and Wellness Coach Specialty Certifications.  I haven't had any luck with finding a part time Wellness Coach position without any certification.  So I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for this yet.  If you have any ideas please let me know!

TODAY I ran through CVX again.


MONDAY:  Of course we had to jump for joy for Monday! Whether it’s snowing outside or not (who wouldn’t jump for joy for snow angels?!), show us what kind of ups you got!  I rarely jump because of my weak ankles.  They may be better since I've lost weight but I don't want to risk an injury.

TUESDAY:  I didn't do the HIIT workout they shared; mine is enough!

WEDNESDAY: Show us how you balance sweaty workouts, sweet treats, and savory snacks over the holidays! For me it all starts off with Austin's birthday cake.  I try not to eat it every day.



THURSDAY: Did you know 75% of your annual weight gain happens over the holidays? Get moving & stay fit during the Holidays! Show us how you get moving in thirty minutes!  Since that's the average length for my workouts it's easy to show.

FRIDAY: It’s Family Fitness Fun Friday! Grab a family member and enjoy a favorite activity! It can be: going for a walk with your Mom, taking the kids Roller Skating, Cross-country skiing with your significant other. Anything Goes, just have fun being active with your loved ones!  I'll have to see if I can get Austin involved in something this weekend....

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